Women's World Cup Winners List Home > Events > Football > Football World Cup > Women's WC > Winners Women's Soccer World Cup Winners Here are the winners of each of the Women's FIFA World Cup events since the first in 1991. Germany and the US have each won two Women's World Cups. Japan's win in 2011 was the first Asian team to win a FIFA World Cup (including both men and women). Results Table The Winners And Losers Of The Women’s World Cup Group Stage | FiveThirtyEight The Winners And Losers Of The Women’s World Cup Group Stage Latest episode: Politics podcast Abby Wambach of the United States celebrates after scoring a goal against Nigeria during the group stage of the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada. Rich Lam / Getty Images Abby Wambach of the United States celebrates after scoring a goal against Nigeria during the group stage of the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada. Rich Lam / Getty Images Jun 19, 2015 at 12:50 PM The Winners And Losers Of The Women’s World Cup Group Stage Check out FiveThirtyEight’s Women’s World Cup predictions .

Down 1-0 at halftime against Switzerland in its final group-stage game, Cameroon looked like it was coming to the end of its World Cup run. But just after the half, an errant cross made its way through the entire Swiss box, and Cameroon striker Gaelle Enganamouit stood waiting. She swung with her left but missed the ball entirely — a wasted opportunity. Until … Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene collected it behind her and with one touch sent a beautiful shot to the lower-left side-netting. More Sports The score was tied 1-1, but Onguene didn’t celebrate. Instead, she looked blankly toward the sideline and her coach, her face suggesting that she might be thinking, “Do we advance with a tie? Or do we need to win?” It was a moment that typified the chaos and confusion we’ve come to expect (and love) during the group stage at a World Cup (especially with FIFA’s weird 24-team tournament structure). Cameroon went on to defeat Switzerland 2-1 and become just the second African team to reach the knockout stage at a Women’s World Cup.

But the group stage is over, and the knockout rounds, which begin Saturday, are simple: Win or wait four years. So which team helped itself the most during the group games? Who has the easiest path to the World Cup final? And what did we learn about these teams, many of which were first time World Cup entrants? There weren’t any surprises atop the groups — all of the most-likely first-place finishers according to our model won their respective groups. But among the second- and third-place teams that advanced, several saw their Women’s Soccer Power Index rating increase significantly after the start of the tournament (there were others whose WSPI ratings fell). Before we look at the biggest WSPI winners and losers from the group stage, let’s see how the bracket has changed since the tournament began. The U.S. Is Sitting Pretty (Thanks, FIFA!) The U.S. might still be furious at FIFA over the turf fields, but the USWNT should thank soccer’s governing body for one of the easiest routes to the World Cup final.

Instead of randomly assigning every country except for the host like it does for the group stage in the men’s World Cup, FIFA chose to strategically place teams into different groups for “ sporting reasons .” The setup means we’re likely to see a Germany vs. France quarterfinal, pitting the No. 1 and No. 3 ranked FIFA teams against each other. The U.S., meanwhile, won’t have to face any of the 10 best teams (according to WSPI) that are still in the tournament until the semifinal. That fortuitous path means — despite three rather uninspiring performances in the group stage — the U.S. remains the most likely team to win the tournament; its chances are up to 33 percent (from 28 percent at the start). U.S. midfielder Megan Rapinoe was brilliant against Australia, scoring twice, but we didn’t see much of an attacking threat from the USWNT in the rest of its group-stage games. It churned through almost every forward on the team against Sweden but was still unable to score, and the team found the net only once against Nigeria (which played with only 10 players in the game’s final minutes).

Because of these rather unconvincing wins, the U.S.’s WSPI has fallen since the beginning of the tournament. If the team advances past its Round of 16 matchup with Colombia, it will face the winner of China vs. Cameroon in the quarterfinal. The average WSPI of the USA’s bracket quadrant is only 85.6 — the lowest of any quadrant — compared with 87.9, 90.0 and 90.8 for the other three quadrants. Germany looked like the powerhouse we were expecting in their opening match, thrashing the Ivory Coast 10-0. But the Germans looked flat against Norway in their second group-stage game, which ended in a 1-1 tie. Despite an increase in WSPI since the beginning of the tournament, Germany has seen its chances of winning the World Cup decrease 2 points, to 25 percent. The Germans face Sweden (the sixth-best remaining team, according to WSPI) in the Round of 16 and would be likely to play France (the third-best remaining team) should they advance to the quarterfinals.

Seven of the eight highest-rated teams going into the tournament performed a bit below expectation and saw their WSPI decrease; Germany was the only exception. Most of the other top teams haven’t seen their chances to win the tournament change significantly. Sweden is down 2 points mostly because of its difficult Round of 16 draw with Germany. Australia is up 1 point after its strong performances in the “ Group of Death ” and its corresponding increase in WSPI. But WSPI wasn’t impressed with Japan’s three wins (it won each game by only a single goal), and Japan’s chances of winning the tournament are down 1 point. Brazil’s chances of winning went up only marginally, despite being the one team in the tournament that has yet to concede a goal. The Group-Stage Winners Colombia, Cameroon and Costa Rica — the latter of whom was eliminated from Group E by Brazil on Wednesday — emerged from the group stage as the biggest “winners” in our ratings: Their WSPI ratings have increased about 2 points since the start of the tournament, compared with an average WSPI decrease of 0.2 points for all teams.

It’s worth noting that the teams whose WSPI changed the most — for better or worse — tend to have fewer competitive matchups in our database, thus the three group-stage matches have a larger impact on their overall WSPI. (See more detail about how we calculate WSPI ratings to understand this effect.) TEAM Women's World Cup History: 1991-2007 - U.S. Soccer Women's World Cup History: 1991-2007 WNT Jun 21, 2011 1991 – Three years after a successful dry run in China PR, FIFA returned to the Middle Kingdom for the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cup and was rewarded with some impressive attendance figures. Twelve teams, divided into three groups of four, battled for the title in matches lasting only 80 minutes. The final in Guangzhou brought together two countries that were already at the forefront of the women’s game – the USA and Norway (despite the latter’s opening 4-0 defeat by the Chinese hosts).

In the end, the Americans claimed a hard-fought 2-1 victory, and Michelle Akers finished the tournament with 10 goals to her name to secure her place as the first superstar of the women’s game. The victorious USA side also featured Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly, Julie Foudy and a number of other players who would go on to leave their mark at the top of the women’s game in the years to come. 1995 – The tournament in Sweden was also played in three groups of four teams, mostly in smaller cities and stadiums and without the huge spectator numbers that would descend upon the tournament four years later. The first Women’s World Cup on European soil was, however, still played in a wonderful atmosphere during the height of the Swedish summer. In the opening match, the Swedish hosts surprisingly lost to Brazil and they only secured their place in the next round thanks to an impressive victory over Germany. Ultimately, Norway became the first European side to claim the world title, the Scandinavians overcoming reigning European champions Germany in the final at the legendary Rasunda Stadium.

Interestingly, the German side featured both Silvia Neid and an 18-year-old Birgit Prinz, who still holds the record as the youngest player to play in a Women’s World Cup final. The Norwegians also claimed the other main trophies, with Ann Kristin Aarones winning the Golden Shoe and Hege Riise the Golden Ball. In the playoff for third place, the USA edged past the emerging Steel Roses from China PR. Nigeria, meanwhile, became the first African team to win a point at the Women’s World Cup. 1999 – The Women’s World Cup in the USA was a massive event in every way. It was the first to feature 16 teams, and the matches were all played in huge stadiums, most of which had been used in the 1994 FIFA World Cup USA. The teams had to cover considerable distances too, travelling from the north to the south of the country and particularly from the east to the west coast.

The hosts’ painstaking organizational work and on-pitch preparations were ultimately rewarded, however, when more than 90,000 fans – a record for women’s football – flocked to the final at Pasadena’s Rose Bowl to witness a nail-biting victory for the USA over China PR in a penalty shootout, three years after the Americans’ triumph over the same opponents in the final of the inaugural Women’s Olympic Football Tournament. The playoff for third place saw Brazil defeat the dethroned Norwegian world champions, also in a penalty shootout. Nigeria notched up another African first by becoming the first African team to reach the quarterfinals China PR’s Sun Wen claimed the Golden Ball, and Brazil’s Sissi won the Golden Shoe. 2003 – For the first time in FIFA history, a final competition was held in the same country for the second consecutive edition. The 2003 Women’s World Cup was originally due to be played in China PR but the SARS crisis saw those plans shelved so the USA stepped in at the last minute and successfully organized a World Cup at just a few months’ notice.

Three countries – France, Korea Republic and Argentina – made their debut at USA 2003, but the major surprises came in matches involving North American teams. China PR’s star had begun to fall, with the 1999 runners-up losing in the quarterfinals to Canada, and the USA also learned the hard way that their rivals had narrowed the gap, with Germany powering past them 3-0 in the semifinals to set up a second all-European final. The final itself was an open, thrilling match that went into extra time before the Germans scored a Golden Goal to claim not only their first world title but also the top spot in the FIFA Women’s World Ranking. Birgit Prinz claimed both the Golden Ball and the Golden Shoe, whereas Brazil gave the world its first glimpse of a talented 17-year-old striker by the name of Marta. 2007 – The Women’s World Cup returned to China PR four years later than originally planned. There were no debutants in 2007, but for the first time, FIFA made prize money available for the tournament, which was attended by one million fans, a figure bettered only by USA 1999.

The semifinals saw both Norway and the USA come up short, the latter falling to a heavy defeat at the hands of Brazil. The Brazilians’ joy was short-lived, however, as they went on to lose the first European-South American final to Germany, who became the first team to not only defend their world crown but also to not concede a single goal in six matches. It was an impressive feat, not least thanks to goalkeeper Nadine Angerer. Brazilian magician Marta won the fans’ hearts as well as the Golden Ball and Golden Shoe. Norway’s Ragnhild Gulbrandsen scored the 500th goal in the history of the Women’s World Cup, and Kristine Lilly became the first and to date only player to play in five Women’s World Cups. Credit: FIFA.com FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015™ - FIFA.com Connect Login Error The email address/password you submitted is wrong or could not be found. Please try again. If you are not a member of the FIFA.com Club, please register first. The email address/password you submitted is wrong or could not be found. Please try again. If you are not a member of the FIFA.com Club, please register first.

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Hyundai Young Player Award 15 Goals for 2015 Abby Wambach's last-gasp header at Germany 2011 has been voted by FIFA.com users as the greatest goal in the history of the FIFA Women's World Cup, while Homare Sawa of Japan and Brazil's Marta claimed second and third place respectively. Winners and losers from the 2015 Women's World Cup Winners and losers from the 2015 Women's World Cup Graham Watson Share View photos USA teammates Shannon Boxx, second from right, and Christie Rampone, far right, pose with the trophy as the USA team celebrates following their win over Japan at the f FIFA Women's World Cup soccer championship in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Sunday, July 5, 2015. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT More [FC Yahoo: USWNT players share their World Cup celebration (Photos) ] The 2015 Women’s World Cup has come to an end and the United States became the first nation to win its third World Cup. Of course, the U.S.

is the ultimate winner for hoisting its first golden trophy in 16 years, but here are a few other winners — and losers — from a month’s worth of women’s soccer. WINNERS Carli Lloyd: Few players had a more dramatic turnaround. She made early headlines after former U.S. coach Pia Sunhage essentially called her an emotional head case in the New York Times, but she rallied, scored six goals in the Americans' final four games, including a hat trick in the final against Japan. For her effort she was awarded the Golden Ball, which is given to the best player of the tournament. Pretty sure Lloyd won’t be paying for anything anywhere in America for quite some time. England: Outside of the U.S., no team came into its own more than England. The Three Lionesses came into the tournament as the world’s No. 6 team but had never won a game outside of the group stage. After initial struggles against France, England used its bunker style to reach the semifinals where it suffered a heartbreaking loss against Japan after scoring an own goal in the 92nd minute. Still, Mark Sampson's side rallied to beat Germany in the third-place game .

View photos From left, the USA's Alex Morgan, Lauren Holiday, Abby Wambach and Whitney Engen with the trophy after their victory in the final over Japan in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup at the BC Place Stadium in Vancouver on July 5, 2015 (AFP Photo/Franck Fife ) More Abby Wambach: She announced after group play that this would be her final World Cup, which put added pressure on her and her teammates to win a title before she rode off into the sunset. Wambach is widely regarded as one of the best to ever play the women’s game. However, she now doesn’t have the dreaded asterisk of being one of the best that never won a World Cup title. Australia: A young squad made a bold statement with a dramatic win against Brazil in the round of 16 before succumbing to Japan in the quarterfinals. Still, the Matildas definitely piqued the interest of their country and the world. Watch out for this team in 2019. Jill Ellis: It’s time for us all to admit that we were wrong about the U.S. coach. She’s far smarter than we gave her credit.

She knew all along what her team was capable of and, despite an entire nation questioning her decisions, Ellis had the United States peaking at the perfect moment and hoisting the World Cup trophy for the first time in 16 years. LOSERS Artificial turf: Despite the success of this tournament, there was nothing good about the fake grass. The turf was hot, it was pebbly and it changed the way the game had to be played. Soccer on the world stage should never be played on an artificial surface and hopefully it won’t ever again. Ayumi Kaihori: England’s Laura Bassett was able to rebound from her own goal with a bronze medal. Kaihori, Japan's goalkeeper, won’t have such luck. She was under a U.S. offensive barrage early in the game, but it was Carli Lloyd’s 54-yard goal that will be her lasting memory. Lloyd caught Kaihori creeping off her line and, from the halfway line, chipped the ball perfectly over her head. Kaihori will have to wait four years to erase that image.

View photos Brazil's midfielder Marta reacts to her teams' loss to Australia in their 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup round of 16 match at Moncton Stadium, in New Brunswick, Canada on June 21, 2015 (AFP Photo/Franck Fife) More Read More Brazil: Its best chance to win the Women's World Cup was probably in 2011, but the 2015 Brazil team started just as hot. The Brazilians looked dominant through the group stage, but allowed a spunky Australia team to oust them from the tournament. Marta might be one of the best players ever, but with no title, she’ll never be held in the highest regard. Great Britain's FAs: England, as noted above, was one of the biggest surprises of the tournament. Unfortunately, this will be the last time the world sees that squad until the next World Cup. Thanks to some fighting within the football associations of Great Britain, there will be no Great Britain representative in the Olympics next year. Way to not capitalize on that momentum, Great Britain. Sweden: No team was a bigger flop than Sweden.

It failed to win a game during the tournament and its best game came when it tied the Americans 0-0 in the second game of group play (not a bad result now that the tourney is over). Pia Sundhage left the United States to lead her home nation to the mountain top, but her team’s performance was the most disappointing of the tournament. FIFA officiating: FIFA tried to make a statement by having all female officials during the World Cup, but most of those officials didn’t have the experience to be officiating at a World Cup level. Consequently, the games either had too many calls or too few calls and, more often than not, calls that ultimately decided the outcomes of games. However, the pinnacle of bad officiating came during the third-place game between England and Germany, where nothing was called and a fight nearly erupted. ----- Want to read my in-game ramblings about soccer?

Follow Graham Watson on Twitter @Yahoo_Graham Reblog History of the FIFA Women's World Cup | ACTIVE History of the FIFA Women's World Cup History of the FIFA Women's World Cup ESPNsoccernet ESPN First conceived by the then-FIFA President Joao Havelange in 1989, the Women's World Cup has, in less than a decade, evolved from one man's ambition into the premier event in women's football across the globe. The dream came to life at the inaugural tournament in November 1991 hosted by China. It featured 12 teams from six continents battling it out in a series of games to be crowned the first-ever Women's World Champion. The competition began with a group stage splitting the 12 competing nations into three groups of four who played one another in a round-robin format in order to decide the top two teams from each group which progressing to the knockout stage, plus the best third-placed side.

The competition progressed until the first ever Women's World Cup trophy was awarded to the USA who were the stars of the inaugural tournament with an unbeaten record and the tournament's overall top goal scoring team with their main striker, Michelle Akers, winning the Golden Boot award and Carin Jennings winning the Golden Ball. The U.S. played Norway in the final where the score was 1-1 and seemed destined to go into extra-time until Akers scored the winning goal for the U.S. in front of a crowd of 65,000 at Guangzhou's Tianhe Stadium. Norway were the disappointed runners-up while Sweden won the third-place play-off against Germany who finished fourth but took home the FIFA Fair Play award. With the titles awarded and the results official the first Women's World Cup tournament ended for another four years. June 1995 took the World Cup to Sweden where the world's best dozen teams gathered for a second time to not only play for the world cup but also qualification for the first women's Olympic Football Tournament the following year in Atlanta, Georgia.

FIFA used the 1995 tournament as an opportunity to experiment with the time-out concept, a rule which enabled each team to call one two-minute break per half. But, with hardly any teams taking this opportunity, the rule was tightened restricting the breaks to a time when a break was imminent such as after a goal was scored, a throw-in about to be taken or a goal-kick. So, with two prizes up for grabs, the tournament got underway with the group stages. The top qualifiers were Germany, Norway and USA; second-place qualifiers were Sweden, England and China PR whilst Japan and Denmark qualified as the top third place finishers to play in the quarter-finals. The results left Germany, Norway, USA and China PR in the semi-finals from which Germany and Norway reached the final. This was Norway's second consecutive final and, unlike their previous final, they came out victorious with a 2-0 win over Germany to capture the Women's World Cup title. Alongside runners-up Germany the USA ran in third and China finished the tournament in fourth place.

Other awards included the Golden Ball which went to Norway's Hege Riise, Norway's Kirstin-Ann Aarones took home the Golden Boot award while the FIFA Fair Play award was bestowed upon the host nation Sweden. The final World Cup of the century proved to be the beginning of a new era of success for women's football and stamped itself as a milestone in the history of women's sport. The host nation for the 1999 tournament was the USA and they staged a World Cup of unprecedented proportions. The games were played in huge stadiums, attracted new record attendances, media coverage and television audiences. World Cup Winners List - World Cup Soccer History of Winners List FIFA World Cup Winners List and History by Jordan Adams Below is a list of the World Cup Soccer winners and details from past events in history. 1930 FIFA World Cup Winners: Uruguay Hosted by the country of Uruguay, the first ever FIFA World Cup was held eight years after the international game was first recognized through Olympic competition. It was in 1929 that a group voted that the country of Uruguay should be the first nation to host a FIFA World Cup. This tournament started out small, as only thirteen nations were to compete.

Four of the countries were from Europe, eight came from South America and the Untied States took part as well. As far as the games went, Uruguay held strong against its opponents, as they swept through group play, defeating both Peru and Romania via shutouts. Once in the knockout round, Uruguay's team continued its strong play defeating Yugoslavia in the Semifinals, 6-0, and it conquered Argentina in the Championship game, 4-2. Uruguay's tournament success can be attributed to its strikers, having two of the top goal scorers in the tournament in Cae and Anselmo. Get a FREE 20% Signup Bonus at Bookmaker Sportsbook - Click Here - Mention bonus code DOC300 1934 FIFA World Cup Winners: Italy Italy's triumph in the 1934 World Cup marked the second host team to win the tournament since the creation of the event. Turned down to host the 1930 FIFA World Cup, Italy beat Czechoslovakia 2-1 in extra time after trailing 1-0 through most of the game until an equalizer eight minutes before time ended.

A great leap from the inaugural tournament, the second ever World Cup had 32 competitors, so all teams, including the host Italy, had to qualify in order to continue. Sixteen teams went on to the elimination round, however the defending champion Uruguay team failed to send a squad to defend their title. In the final match it was Czechoslovakia striking first blood when left-winger Puc put a goal through with twenty minutes remaining. With only a few minutes to go and trailing, it was Italy's Orsi that put his squad back in the match with the tying goal, sending the match to extra time where Italy's Meazza would come back from an injury to score the winning goal and capture the victory for his home country. 1938 FIFA World Cup Winners: Italy Marked by the cloud of war, the third ever World Cup received fewer nations as many held back because of this issue. It was in this World Cup that one of the greatest matches was played by Brazil and Poland. Brazil came away with the victory in extra time, 6-5.

While Italy defended its title and came away with its second consecutive World Cup championship, it was Brazil's Leonidas who came into the spotlight with a tournament-leading seven goals and created worldwide interest with his exceptional marksmanship. However, it was the decision of Brazilian coach Adheniar Pimenta to rest Leonidas, as well as others, for the final. They never got that opportunity, as Italy knocked out the South American power, 2-1. Advancing to the final, Italy captured back-to-back FIFA World Cup titles as they defeated Hungary, 4-2. 1950 FIFA World Cup Winners: Uruguay Twelve years from the last FIFA tournament, the fourth-ever World Cup took place in Brazil after the Second World War had concluded. This tournament in Brazil marked a new era for soccer as the tournaments were held in much larger stadiums throughout the cities of this South American country. Instead of qualifying for an elimination format, it was four teams that continued to a round robin format. It was host city Brazil, along with Uruguay, Spain and Sweden which joined for the final round. At this point Brazil cruised past Sweden and Spain, 7-1, and 6-1, respectively.

Uruguay also managed to defeat Spain, 2-1, advancing to play the Brazilian squad in the championship. Brazil needed only a tie to capture the title, as Uruguay had only three points. However, Uruguay shocked Brazil and their home crowd and won their second FIFA World Cup, 2-1. 1954 FIFA World Cup Winners: West Germany The fifth ever World Cup was remembered for its high-scoring matches and an underdog victory by West Germany. Held in Switzerland, the heavy favorites were Hungary, as they were unbeaten in 28 international and Olympic matches. Hungary seemed to be a lock for the championship as they played great football throughout group play, crushing Korea 9-0 and Germany the same, 8-3. However, after Hungary had reached the finals versus a West Germany team that they had already beaten handily, many never gave the West German squad a chance. The match started as most assumed, as Hungary went up two goals, and seemed to have the match under control. It was the determination of the West Germans that led them to a remarkable victory, fighting hard to even the score and pulling ahead with just six minutes remaining to stun the soccer world.

1958 FIFA World Cup Winners: Brazil Held in Sweden, this year's tournament marked the first time that the FIFA World Cup would be televised internationally so that the world could witness the best soccer had to offer. This being the sixth World Cup also marked a record number of teams competing. The largest field in the tournament's history gave the world a chance to see more unknown football nations and a possibility of upsets like in the past tournament with the success of the West German team. The 1958 World Cup will be most remembered for the emergence of Brazilian striker Pele, who at only 17 years of age scored six goals, including two in the final match against the host team, as Brazil would capture the FIFA title, 5-2. Pele was now a star and would be a sight to see in future World Cups to come. 1962 FIFA World Cup Winners: Brazil Hosted in Chile, the 1962 FIFA World Cup was captured by the Brazilian squad, now claiming the title of world's best for two straight tournaments. Returning to South America 12 years after Brazil had hosted, FIFA now boasted a new team record of 56.

Brazil, once again sweeping through the competition, won with great team play, as leader Pele was only able to play in the opening game versus Mexico before being forced to sit because of an injury. Without its infamous superstar, Brazil would get goals from three different players as they beat Czechoslovakia in the final, 3-1. 1966 FIFA World Cup Winners: England Again hosted back over in Europe -- this time in London -- the Brazilian team would have an opportunity to win its third FIFA Cup in the last three tournaments. However, once again Pele would be nagged by injuries and that in itself would be enough to crown a new champion. It was the host country that would make the most of its opportunity. England met West Germany in the final match and led by a hat-trick by striker Geoff Hurst, England would successfully keep the FIFA Cup in its own country, 4-2. However, one of Hurst's goals was in question if it had ever crossed the line after striking the crossbar. The argument from both sides still continues today.

1970 FIFA World Cup Winners: Brazil In this ninth edition of the FIFA Cup, it would be now allowed for substitutions to take place throughout the matches, as well as yellow and red cards to be introduced during play. Held in Mexico, the 1970 FIFA World Cup tied a record first set in 1950 for no players sent off the field do to conduct or unnecessary play. To no one's surprise it was Brazil who again claimed the title of world's best. This time the play of Jairzinho, who became the first player to score a goal in every match, led the South Americans. Brazil defeated Italy in the final, 4-1. Because of Brazil's spectacular play, overlooked was Italy's semifinal match against West Germany, which became the first match in FIFA World Cup history to have five goals scored in extra time. 1974 FIFA World Cup Winners: West Germany This FIFA Cup marked the first time that people could enjoy the matches on color television. Hosted by the West Germans, they were able to successfully win the tournament, but their victory claimed a new trophy.

This time instead of being awarded the Jules Rimit trophy, a new solid gold statuette would be known as the "FIFA World Cup." Ninety-eight nations now competed for this new trophy, which was sculpted by Silvio Gazzaniga, who also designed the first trophy. 1978 FIFA World Cup Winners: Argentina Not since they reached the final match in 1930 had Argentina had a better outcome. Hosting and winning the FIFA Cup, the Argentineans rallied from a poor performance against Italy in the opening round, eventually defeating the Netherlands in the final, 3-1. Boasting the top goal scorer of the tournament, Argentina was lead by Mario Kempes and a solid surrounding unit that managed to keep consistent play throughout the tournament and capture the title for its home fans. 1982 FIFA World Cup Winners: Italy It was Italy who came away with their third FIFA championship, after surviving its opening round game on goal difference. Italy went right through Brazil as Paolo Rossi led the Italian attack with a hat-tick and chalked up a victory over the perennial power, 3-2. Italy then went on to defeat West Germany in the final, 3-1.

Rossi finished the tournament with six goals and was the top scorer. 1986 FIFA World Cup Winners: Argentina Wining the tournament for the second time in three tries, the Argentina team, led by Diego Maradona, captured the title with a victory over West Germany, 3-2. In one of its games versus England, he dubbed one of his two goals as "the hand of God." The tournament was originally to be awarded to Columbia, but in 1983 they announced that they could no longer afford to stage football's grandest stage. Also noted was the terrible earthquake that devastated the country beforehand, but was not to postpone this event that brought joy to so many after the fact. 1990 FIFA World Cup Winners: West Germany Looked down upon because of too many matches decided by penalty kicks, the 1990 World Cup was held in Italy. Ten of the 12 stadiums were recreated for the matches so that the event could be at its best. Despite the top goal scoring being from the host city, it was West Germany that claimed the title over Argentina, 1-0. Both semifinal matches were decided via penalties, as well as one settled in similar fashion in the quarterfinals.

1994 FIFA World Cup Winners: Brazil The first-ever World Cup hosted in the United States, it was Brazil that came away with another Cup victory. Viewed as an exceptional tournament, Brazil knocked out Italy in the final after a goalless draw forced the match to penalty kicks. The hosts bowed out gracefully to the eventual champions in the second round, as Brazil was clearly the best overall team throughout the tournament. 1998 FIFA World Cup Winners: France Held in France, the 16th FIFA World Cup was the largest ever. Thirty-two teams competed and 64 matches were played throughout. Match format were styled in eight groups of four, as the field was spread out until 30 countries were to qualify. France ousted defending champion Brazil in the final match 3-0, and they brought great joy to its home fans, as it seemed almost inevitable that they would be successful in this tournament. 2002 FIFA World Cup Winners: Brazil The most recent World Cup was held in Korea, and to no surprise it was the Brazilian squad that came out on top. Winning its unprecedented fifth FIFA World Cup, the South Americans bumped Germany from another shot at the championship, 2-0.

Ronaldo was the leading goal scorer in the tournament, netting eight goals; the most since Gerd Muller in 1970. While the tournament field could be considered quite deep, Brazil was the clear cut favorite as they made German goalie Oliver Kahn, who was dominant throughout, seem mortal in the final. In one of the more entertaining and star-studded matches, Brazil defeated England, 2-1, despite a great attempt from David Beckham, Michael Owen, and company. 2006 FIFA World Cup Winners: Italy In this edition of the biggest sporting event in the world, much was built on the hopes that hosts Germany could thrive. They were ranked in the top ten coming into the tournament and finished very strong in third place. The elimination rounds featured some tension-filled and exciting moments. From the questionable penalty that saw Italy through in the Round of 16 vs. Australia to the heated collisions that Portugal had with both the Netherlands and England, the 2006 World Cup was a brilliant sight to behold.

France's 2002 epic failure was quickly wiped clear with a memorable march to the 2006 Final behind their legendary countryman Zinedine Zidane (injured right before 2002 World Cup). The French bested world powers Brazil, Spain and then Portugal on way to their epic clash with rivals Italy. The eventual champions Italy came through with a memorable semifinal match against Germany, one that they won 2-0 in added extra time. Not only was that the best match of this World Cup but also one of the better meaningful matches over the last decade. In the end penalties saw Italy to the top of the world football pyramid and they raised the trophy as the best in the globe. Football World Cup winners list | FIFA soccer WC champion teams, history Football World Cup winners list Published on Jun 20, 2014 Take a close look at the greatest football teams on earth: the FIFA World Cup champions. The World Cup, also known as the Mundial or Copa do Mundo, has been held 19 times since it inaugural tournament in 1930.

It has been won by eight different teams, with Brazil having the most World Cup titles with five, followed by Italy with four, and West Germany with three. Argentina and Uruguay have two titles each while England, France, and Spain have one title. Below is a year-by-year account of all the World Cup champion teams. 1930 FIFA World Cup Final score: Uruguay 4-2 Argentina Host country: Uruguay The 1930 World Cup was staged in Uruguay and it was the host country that won the championship. In the final match, the Uruguayans saw themselves trailing behind Argentina by 2-1 but managed to turn things around in the second half by scoring three goals. Uruguay became the first World Cup winner with a 4-2 score. 1934 FIFA World Cup Final score: Italy 2-1 Czechoslovakia (Extra time) Host country: Italy The 1934 World Cup was once again won by the host country and this time it was Italy that took the trophy. Playing against Czechoslovakia, Italy imposed a very tough defense but the visiting team breached the Italian line in the 70th to lead 1-0.

Italy retaliated to make the game 1-1 before the end of regulation and bagged the win in overtime by a 2-1 tally. 1938 FIFA World Cup Final score: Italy 4-2 Hungary Host country: France Italy retained its crown in the 1938 World Cup in France. In the final match against Hungary, the Italians broke clear with a 3-1 score at halftime and finished the game 4-2. 1950 FIFA World Cup Final score: Uruguay 2-1 Brazil Host country: Brazil The World Cup was not staged again until 1950 because of the Second World War. Played in Brazil, this edition of the Mundial saw one of the biggest upsets in football history when the host country lost to the Uruguay football team. Brazil was highly favored to win in the final match with Uruguay, which was lowly rated after not qualifying in the two previous World Cups. The Brazilians scored two minutes into the second half and everything seemed to be going well for them. However, Uruguay tied on the 66th minute mark and scored anew on the 79th to steal the 1950 World Cup trophy.

1954 FIFA World Cup Final score: West Germany 3-2 Hungary Host country: Switzerland The 1954 World Cup saw another major upset: In the group stage, the Hungarians trashed West Germany 8-3 and was highly favored to win when the two teams met again in the final. Scoring two goals after only eight minutes, the Hungarian football team looked like they were on a smooth way to the Mundial trophy. However, West Germany equalized within the first half and, just five minutes before the end of regulation, broke away with another goal to win 3-2. 1958 FIFA World Cup Final score: Brazil 5-2 Sweden Host country: Sweden Host Sweden matched up against Brazil in the final of the 1958 World Cup. The Swedish football team opened the scoring but found themselves trailing by 2-1 at the end of the first half. Brazil played top-class football for the rest of the second half and finished the game 5-2. Brazil’s successful campaign was spurred by one of the greatest footballers in history , Pele, who played his first Mundial in this year.

1962 FIFA World Cup Final score: Brazil 3-1 Czechoslovakia Host country: Chile In the 1962 World Cup, Brazil faced Czechoslovakia in the final match without its goal-scoring genius, Pele, as he was injured in the first round. The Czechoslovakians struck the first goal but the Brazilians showed their offensive flare to emerge as victors with a 3-1 score. This was the second of five World Cup trophies in the Brazilian football team’s history. 1966 FIFA World Cup Final score: England 4-2 West Germany (Extra time) Host country: England England faced West Germany at the final of the 1966 World Cup. The Germans found the back of the net first but the English equalized by halftime, 1-1. In the second half, the English pulled away with a goal’s lead but West Germany scored before the end of regulation to take the game into overtime with a 2-2 score. Englishman Geoff Hurst, who had one goal in regulation, scored twice in overtime to make England World Cup winners and to become the only player ever to score a hat trick in a Mundial final.

The 1966 victory is the only World Cup trophy in the English football team’s history as of present. 1970 FIFA World Cup Final score: Italy 3-1 West Germany Host country: Spain The 1982 World Cup title is the third of Italy. It was not an easy one, as the Italians barely survived elimination in the first round. The first half of the final game did not prove to be inspiring either, as Italy missed a penalty that would have opened the scoring. However, Italy managed to squeeze a goal on the 56th minute and followed it up with two more goals to lead 3-0. West Germany scored a goal in the 82nd minute to finish the game honorably, 3-1. 1986 FIFA World Cup Final score: Brazil 0-0 Italy (3-2 pen) Host country: United States The 1994 World Cup, held in the United States, is the fourth occasion that Brazil would rip the highest honor in football. In the final match, neither Brazil nor its opponent, Italy, scored in the regulation and extra periods so the game was forced into a penalty shootout.

Both sides missed on their first attempt but Brazil converted its following shots while Italy suffered two more misses to lose 3-2 in the shootout. The biggest disappointment came to Italian football hero Roberto Baggio, who led his team throughout the tournament only to miss his chance from the penalty spot in the final game. 1998 FIFA World Cup Final score: France 3-0 Brazil Host country: France The 1998 World Cup trophy was competed between 32 teams and it was France that emerged triumphant. The French survived the quarter finals through a penalty shootout against Italy and defeated Croatia in the semis with a 2-1 score. They went on to the final to square up with Brazil. The final belonged to French football legend Zinedine Zidane who scored two goals in regulation to make victory imminent for the host country. His efforts were complemented by Emmanuel Petit, who added another goal in stoppage period. The match ended 3-0 for the first World Cup title in France’s football squad history.

2002 FIFA World Cup Final score: Brazil 2-0 Germany Host country: South Korea & Japan The 2002 World Cup was the first to be held in Asia and saw Brazil become the winner once again. Ronaldo scored both of Brazil’s goals to surge pass Germany 2-0 in the final match. The brilliant striker finished as 2002 top scorer but it was the football goalkeeping legend Oliver Kahn of Germany who bagged the award for the tournament’s best player, the Golden Ball. (This World Cup, with Korea and Japan as hosts, is the first to be hosted by two nations.) 2006 FIFA World Cup

Question: Which country were the first winners of FIFA's Women's World Cup?
Answer: UNITED STATES